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Best BBQ in town?

Vegas used to be a desert (hah!) when it came to decent BBQ. Now there seem to be dozens of places offering up their smokey selections. The wife and I will be in town several times this summer and don't mind driving a bit if necessary. So where's your favorite BBQ joint, and why are they so good?

You can't beat the price of Ellis Island's ribs and they are tasty, but they're not smoked. If you want smoked meats try Rollin Smoke BBQ. They're not far from the strip on Highland Dr. Closed Sundays and open late Fri/Sat. They are family owned from Arkansas. Their pulled pork is fantastic and the brisket is pretty good, my first visit I was less impressed by it, but the second was considerably better. I haven't tried the ribs yet. Two meat combos are pictured ($10.99): pork and brisket, all brisket (they got my order wrong but it was a happy accident; it made me try the brisket again and it won me over).

I love BBQ, and Ellis Island wins for my best BBQ like anywhere. But that's just me.

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That last sentence is about as wise at it can get on this subject. Because all there is is each of us and what we like!

What is BBQ? What is "best"? If live embers and an open grill is BBQ in Texas then it is when the same is done in CA, though the Carolinas and Memphis might have something to say about both. What EI does is not, if using the same definition, barbecue. Or what about Hawaiian imu ... America's FIRST barbecue tradition!

Having lived all over the US, as some of the posters have mentioned, BBQ means different things to different people. In Kansas City, they do a drier version of ribs that is totally different from what you'd get in Tennessee. Both are great to me. I'm less of a fan of the vinegar based stuff in the carolinas -- I think honestly it's harder to do and is only good if done perfectly.

Not sure why I felt the need to post that -- I really can't add to BBQ in vegas thoughts because I don't eat BBQ in Vegas. To me, BBQ and seafood are definitely done better elsewhere in the US, so I don't waste my Vegas meals on those things when there are so many things that Vegas does well.

Concerning ribs that tenderly fall off the bone - that is cool, if indeed the ribs were smoked.
However, I've heard of places that boil the ribs to ensure tenderness. Sure, they're of supreme fall-off-the-bone quality, but the meaty flavor is lost in the liquid. Unsavory rib joints that partake in this practice justify it by excess coatings of BBQ sauce on the meat.
The absolute worst offenders are those that discard that same liquid. If you're going to boil your ribs, at least save the broth for practical cooking uses.